How to Join WESTOP

Membership FAQs

Welcome to the WESTOP Membership information page!

Below you will find all you need to know about becoming a member of WESTOP, renewing your membership and types of membership.  If you still have questions following your review of this page, you will find appropriate contact information listed below.

Registration for regular membership closes November 30, 2008.  Those still interested in becoming a member of WESTOP may do so for a small late fee--$30 in addition to the $65 regular membership price.  Those professionals who were hired after the November 30 closing date are eligible to register for individual membership at the regular fee of $65 with proof of their hiring date.  Please contact Gustavo Oceguera, Membership Chair at Gustavo.Oceguera@rcc.edu with the following information to register:

First and last name,
Position/Title,
Program, Institution,
Work Address,
Work Phone,
Work Fax,
Years of service in TRiO,
Are you TRiO alumni?,
Are you a new WESTOP member?, and
The Chapter you would like to be registered with.

New professionals in the WESTOP region may sign up for membership following this date.

General Membership Information

1. All memberships are valid from July 1-June 30.
2. There are two types of individual membership and one type of institutional membership.
3. If you have not received an invitation for membership, you may register by clicking on the Membership Payment Link.
4. Please remember, we will not be accepting any form of paper registration.  All registrations must be completed via Cvent.  Anyone not registered in Cvent is not considered a member.
5. Upon payment for membership, you will receive a membership code specific to you or your institution.  This code will be requested of you each time you register for an event in which you wish to receive the membership rate.
6. For those purchasing an individual membership (professional or student) and paying with a check, proceed to register via Cvent and indicate a check as your payment option.  Please remember to include who the check is for (member name) in the memo section of the check.  The CFO cannot credit the appropriate person if the name is not specified.
7. NO membership fees may be paid at any WESTOP events.

Professional Membership (Get your Membership Handbook)

1. A professional membership is a type of individual membership and open to everyone interested in becoming a member of WESTOP.
2. The cost is $65 per membership year.
3. The benefits are reduced rates for Regional and Chapter events as well as voting privileges.

Student Membership

1. Those selecting student membership CANNOT be a full-time professional and must provide proof of enrollment.
2. The cost is $15 per membership year.
3. The benefit is a reduced rate at Regional and Chapter events.
4. There are no voting privileges with this membership.

Institutional Membership

1. The cost is $350 per membership year.
2. The benefits are that the entire institution receives reduced rates for Regional and Chapter events and voting privileges for up to six persons.
3. Cvent will prompt the person registering for institutional membership for ONE designated person to oversee the membership at that specific institution.  This will become the contact for that institution’s membership.
4. The same six people will have voting rights for the entire membership year.  The names of the six people should be indicated when registering on Cvent. If the names are not available at that time, the designated contact must send them to the Membership Chair and CFO as soon as possible.
5. Only those members on record with the Membership Chair and CFO will be forwarded to the Chapter Presidents as voting members.
6. If additional votes are desired, people are encouraged to purchase individual memberships.
7. Program funds may be used to purchase institutional membership.

If you have any questions or require further information regarding membership, feel free to contact:
Gustavo Oceguera
TRiO  Director
Riverside Community College-Norco Campus
951.372.7144
Gustavo.Oceguera@rcc.edu

If you have any questions or require information regarding payment of membership, please contact:
Melissa Padilla
WESTOP Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
P.O. Box 56455
Hayward, CA 94545-6455
westopcfo@yahoo.com
510.885.2615

Thank you for choosing WESTOP as your professional association!

Gustavo Oceguera

FAQ

If I am a full-time student, do I need to pay a membership fee and the conference registration fee?
Yes.  You will need to send proof of full-time status to the CFO (contact information listed above), and you cannot be a full-time professional.  You could also opt to pay the non-member rate for the conference.  Make sure you register for both membership and the conference via Cvent.

If I’m new to WESTOP and join half way through the membership year, can I pay a half year rate?
No.  None of the membership rates will be pro-rated.  You may decide if you would like to register for a membership for this current year or wait until the upcoming membership year.

Can I be invoiced for my membership fee?
Yes.  Click on the link below for the appropriate invoice.
Institutional Membership (MS Word) (PDF)
Professional Membership (MS Word) (PDF)
Student Membership (MS Word) (PDF)

What do I do if I have a change of name, programs and/or institutions after I have submitted my membership fee and information?
Please contact the Membership Chair with your updated information.

How does Institutional Membership work for a campus with multiple TRiO Programs and a large number of TRiO professionals
There is one Institutional Membership per campus no matter how many programs or potential members are located at the campus.  Once an Institutional Membership is purchased, the entire campus receives the benefit of reduced rates for WESTOP events, but only 6 people may be indicated as voting members.  Those individuals who are not indicated as voting members, but would still like to vote, are encouraged to purchase individual memberships. For campuses with multiple TRiO Programs, consider coordinating with the other programs to have at least one member from each program listed as a voting member on your institutional membership.  This is fair to all programs and does not leave one entire program left to pay the individual membership fee if they wish to have voting privileges

I am the designated representative for the institutional membership at my campus.  We recently had someone leave the campus that had voting privileges; did our sixth vote leave with that member?
No. Your institution always has up to six votes. You may choose any person at your institution who does not already have a professional or student membership to take on the voting privileges of the member who left. Once that person has been identified, please send their name to the Membership Chair and CFO so they can be on record as a voting member.

We have our first Chapter meeting this week but have only provided three names to the Membership Chair and CFO as members with voting privileges. Do the three people at the meeting get their vote counted twice for our six votes?
No. Each institutional membership provides voting privileges for up to six people, but each person only has one vote. As you continue adding people you can send updates to the Membership Chair and CFO and your remaining three votes will go to those people.

I am not sure who the voting members at our institution will be.  Can I provide the names to my Chapter President at the next meeting?
All additions and/or changes to institutional membership must be submitted to the Membership Chair and CFO.  Any members not on record with the Membership Chair and the CFO are not considered voting members and will not have voting privileges at meetings.  If you are able to submit these names to the Membership Chair and CFO the day prior to your meeting, they will be forwarded to your Chapter President and will be recognized as voting members at your Chapter meeting.

Membership Payment Link

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